Marisa Calderon

She’s Building Data-Driven Solutions to America’s Affordability Crisis

With housing costs continuing to climb and small businesses dying by the thousands, Prosperity Now’s mission to advance economic mobility has never been more vital. So when Marisa Calderon took over as President and CEO of the national nonprofit last year, she quickly implemented a strategic shift to align the organization’s operations with the economic challenges currently facing households and small businesses. A recognized leader in economic opportunity, housing, and community development, Calderon launched several new initiatives aimed at helping organizations better understand the financial trends and needs within their communities, including data-driven tools that empower Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to help entrepreneurs gain access to capital and clean energy-related funding opportunities. And a new Good Jobs initiative helps small business service providers strengthen their employee retention and advancement practices. Together, her efforts have grown the national network to more than 86,000 partners.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo